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Looking for natural ways to help improve the appearance of the skin on your face? Face yoga is a great workout for your face muscles and has many benefits, “including achieving a rejuvenated and glowing look”. Karin, founder and lead instructor of Glowinface Face Yoga programmes, told Express.co.uk how face yoga “helps to erase wrinkles and sagging skin naturally by releasing the tension, activating, lifting and toning the facial muscles”. She shared three beginner face yoga exercises that you can try at home.
Karin said there are 57 muscles on the face and that they represent 60 percent of our face structure. Then there is 20 percent skin, 10 percent bone, and 10 percent fat.
Under the influence of gravity, our facial muscles start to sag and lose volume. Skin closely connects to the muscles and always follows them. If your muscles drop your skin will have no place to lie on and get more and more wrinkled, but face yoga can help keep the muscles connected.
Karin explained: “Practicing Face Yoga increases blood circulation, bringing oxygen and vital nutrients not only to your muscles but also to the deepest skin layers (boosting collagen and elastin production) and all the way to the brain and internal glands.
“In that way face exercises sculpt, lift and tone your face, improve your skin elasticity, reduce acne and also reduce headaches, improve concentration, boost your energy levels and balance your whole body.”
Karin also spoke about the main skin issues women face as they get older and how face yoga can help reverse them. She said: “The most visible issues during the ageing process are definitely the wrinkles, sagging skin, dryness and dull complexion.
“The point of face exercises is to activate the muscles with the right moves and in this way improve blood flow to every cell and improve lymphatic drainage.
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“In this way, face exercises help speed the regeneration process, boost skin’s collagen and elastin and most importantly – release tension and strengthen your facial muscles which represent around 60 percent of your whole facial form – no other technique (massage, cupping, gua-sha) can do that.
“When the muscles are being worked out they tug and pull on the bone, helping preserve bone density which decreases with age – especially in menopause.
“When working with your facial muscles you also get other benefits – such as stimulation of the vagus nerve, hormone balancing, improved focus and memory and more,” she added.
Before you embark on face yoga, Karin had a piece of advice: “You can create more wrinkles if you’re not doing facial exercises properly. So make sure you use a mirror when you’re starting out, to make sure you smooth the skin with your hands instead of wrinkling it.
“The exercises I’m going to teach you are called Cat Eyes, Total Facelift and Bye Bye Double Chin. They are our staple anti-ageing exercises that will help you get a feel of what face yoga practice looks and feels like.
“Make sure you hold each exercise for 30 seconds and repeat it three times. It will take you less than 10 minutes, and you’ll already feel your face working!”
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A beginner’s guide to face yoga – three exercises
Cat Eyes
“This exercise concentrates on the upper part of the face,” the expert said. “It eliminates the wrinkles around the eyes, lifts the upper eyelids, and eliminates stalled lymph from the lower eyelid.
“This exercise helps to improve vision, balances the hormonal system, reduces headaches, and brings energy.”
1. Put your palm ends onto the temples and embrace the head with your fingers.
2. Check in the mirror to see if palm ends cover the end of your eyebrows – they have to!
3. Press into the muscle with your palms first, and then press backwards and up.
4. Close and squint your eyes intensely until you feel your muscle below working.
5. Your neck, shoulders and other facial muscles must be relaxed.
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Total Facelift
Karin explained: “This face yoga exercise rejuvenates, lifts, and tones all 57 muscles on the face and neck. It reduces wrinkles on the face, neck, and décolletage. The best time to implement this exercise in your routine is in the morning, because it boosts your energy, wakes you up and clears your mind.”
1. Make a long and narrow O with your mouth, then hold for a few seconds.
2. Then pull your upper and lower lip inwards over your teeth firmly and hold it.
3. Hold the chin with your finger to keep your O long and narrow.
4. Then lift your cheeks from the corners of your mouth like you would like to smile.
5. Be careful not to create wrinkles around the eyes. To prevent that, you can place your fingers on the temples, then press into the muscles and up.
Bye Bye Double Chin
“Facial exercise Bye Bye Double chin firms and tones the muscle groups in, around and under the chin,” the expert revealed. “It helps to raise the sagging cheeks and strengthens the entire jaw.
“It also reduces wrinkles on both sides of the chin, the so-called ‘bags’, it eliminates the double chin and smoothes the skin on the neck.”
1. Smile, open your mouth and make an “aaaa” sound.
2. Put your lower lip and corners over your lower teeth and press them inward.
3. Start pushing your jaw outwards – as far as it goes and try to lift the cheeks.
4. You must feel the resistance between your cheeks pulling up and your jaw pushing out.
5. When your jawbone can’t get any further, cover the area around the mouth with two fingers on both sides to prevent wrinkles and hold.
